


Ghost of Àrnadalr's Past

by BloodyPriestess



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anna and Elsa are Siblings (Disney), Character Turned Into a Ghost, Choose Your Own Ending, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Elsa x Hans - Freeform, Established Anna/Kristoff, F/M, Hans x Elsa - Freeform, Hansla, Happy Endings are in the eye of the beholder lol, Helsaween (Disney), Helsaween 2020 (Disney), Iceburns, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Injury, Just kidding! Or am I?, Major Character Injury, Mutual Pining, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Or read the chapter of your preferred ending, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Tags here be the spoilers... :(, ghost - Freeform, helsa, or not?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:16:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27303277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodyPriestess/pseuds/BloodyPriestess
Summary: *[ For HELSAWEEN 2020. October 1-7: Classic Horror.]Six months ago, Elsa met financier Hans Westergaard.A week later, he was exposed for his duplicity and she vowed never to see him again.But they were bound to meet again.Of the possible scenarios she imagined, Doctor Elsa Àrnadalr did not expect a car accident would be one of them.
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa & Hans (Disney), Elsa/Hans (Disney)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Ghost of Àrnadalr's Past

**Author's Note:**

> Notes:
> 
> ◊ Written for HELSAWEEN 2020. Intended for Week 1 (October 1-7) – Classic Horror. I chose “Ghost Story”.
> 
> ◊ Why Elsa 'Àrnadalr'?
> 
> "Heim Àrnadalr" translates to ‘Home Arendelle’. This song played during Elsa’s coronation scene in Frozen I.
> 
> ◊ Thank you to Helsanon for beta-reading! Kianguro for her insights and ending suggestion! And the all the lovely people on the Town of Helsa, a province of Germany Discord server for the daily dose of encouragement, inspiration, and serotonin!
> 
> -  
> Featured music:
> 
> ◊ Two Feet – "Think I’m Crazy"  
> ◊ Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee – "Despacito"  
> ◊ CORPSE – "Never Satisfied"
> 
> -

* * *

* * *

**“Ghost of Àrnadalr’s Past”**

  
_By Bloody Priestess_

* * *

* * *

A lone, svelte figure slipped out of the hospital doors after a cheerful farewell. Her steps were measured and noiseless as she walked down the short driveway from the staff entryway. She stopped underneath a nearby lamppost by the empty taxi stand and watched the snow as it began to fall.

In warmer weather, she should be pelted with raindrops by now. She should count her blessing. Yes, she should focus on the positive things in her life.

But, the blue eyes that glanced up looked as dark as the distant, starless skies above. She can always moderate and guard her actions but her eyes... They will always give her away.

She shut them for a moment and imagined the floodgates of her emotions sealed tight. With a sigh, she observed that it was only half-past eight in the evening but the streets were already relatively empty and quiet in this part of town. She supposed most of the traffic steered toward the city center on this Friday night. It felt like everything was going, moving in one direction, and she was stuck where she was.

Her jacket's hood concealed her white-blonde hair from the snow-laden night air and enveloped her pale face between its heavily lined folds. She unconciously snuggled deeper into fabric, grateful for the semblance of protection and faux-embrace it offered. Her warm breaths came out in white puffs as her red-knit gloved hand shoved earphones in place. Music will distract her from her haunted memories.

At the movement, Elsa Àrnadalr caught the digital clock on her wristwatch and realized was running late. She had taken an extra half-hour to finalize the details of her sister's surprise bachelorette party. She told herself not to worry. The extra attention to detail would be worth it.

She wanted it to be perfect. Nothing less for her beloved sister.

Anna’s coworkers were adamant that they should go with the thot-route for her little sister’s last hurrah of singlehood. It was already hard to find non-winter holiday party favors at this time of year. Especially the explicit ones with December 25th less than a week away. But after some finessing and some no-nonsense negotiations, she managed and compelled the courier to deliver goods straight to the venue. Finally, her skills as the former CEO of Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals Inc. were put to some use.

Elsa calculated the travel time from Anna’s offices at Àrnadalr Tower to the party venue. Everything should be right on schedule. Anna would be lured to the venue under the pretense of checking out a newly opened bistro with her coworkers. The small function room should be ready by now. It was all arranged. Upon their group’s arrival, the hostess would offer the complimentary room as they just “won” for being their 100th customer.

She leaned against the lamppost and pensively studied the hospital facade. Her last case involving a young man in a vehicular accident was one of the most complicated surgeries she had to shadow and assist. After three hours in surgery, the patient survived.

Elsa looked forward to some decompression time. An evening of some reckless fun would be more than welcome. These past six months haven’t been easy. Since her return from her trip from the Caribbean, she hadn’t truly had a moment of true peace. Who knew a trip to the Bahamas would stir up so much pain, doubt, and anxiety? Elsa sighed, exorcising the memory of his green eyes gleaming by a brilliant seaside sunset.

The young surgical resident shrugged, unlocked her phone, and checked the status of her taxi on her ride-hailing app.

_Arriving in 5 minutes._

As music reverberated into her ears, she minimized the app and opened her messaging app. Elsa was writing Anna a quick text when she heard a screech of rubber tires on the pavement. She turned and saw a car hood swerve uncontrollably towards her.

Elsa Àrnadalr froze still and saw the overhead lamppost light illuminate the driver’s beautiful green eyes behind the windshield before darkness set in.

* * *

***~*~***

* * *

  
He maneuvered his sleek Italian car, a gaudy bonus for a successful take over, smoothly down near-empty downtown city streets. Outside, a gentle snowfall just started to lightly layer everything with a soft white.

An EDM track blasted from speakers with synths and bass beats as the vocalist confessed…

_I think I am crazy. Lately._  
_Feeling like I am faded._

“I know what you mean, friend.” He told the singer. He wasn’t sure he wanted to stay on this career path anymore. Doubts arose in this mind almost immediately after he met the reluctant Àrnadalr COE.

She challenged and shattered so many of his hard-held truths and preconceived beliefs…

_Elsa._

A sliver of light from the automobile behind him jolted him out of his daydream. The headlights momentarily blinded him as it bounced off his rearview mirror. It briefly illuminated his dark red hair and the silhouetted figure sitting at the backseat.

Hans frowned, not trusting what he saw. His green eyes lifted past his reflection and glanced at the seat behind him.

And saw nothing.

Once again, the light and darkness shifted as the SUV overtook him. Hans dismissed the odd shift as nothing more than his own shadow.

The temperature suddenly dropped around him. He leaned forward and turned up the heat. His blood-red knitted scarf protected his neck where his black cashmere turtleneck did not reach. He hovered an ungloved hand over his car’s air conditioning vents.

The car’s heater was now comfortably blasting warm air across his stubbled face. He had been told to get rid of his facial hair as it did not suit his sly, urbane corporate raider aesthetic. It didn’t matter, he was done with the ruthless business taking over financially struggling companies and dismantling them for a profit. Hans intended to tell his father on Monday he could shove the Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals Inc. takeover plans up his—

Hans broke off and frowned at his digital console. The track just looped from the second chorus back to the first stanza.

“What in the—?”

Confused at the unexpected change, Hans examined the dashboard when the song skipped and the familiar rhythmic beats of Despacito came through in its place at max volume. His hand felt clumsy and overly large as he scrambled towards the LED dials.

Hans cringed. He would deny to his last breath that he had this song in a secret playlist ever since that Corporate Leader’s summit in the Bahamas last summer. And the fact that he played that song to recapture and relive his moment with the elusive Elsa Àrnadalr.

As his finger pounded the skip button repeatedly, he did not notice the speedometer climb on its own. Hans wondered if he needed to get his car system fixed when the track skipped again and a heavy rap/trap track came up.

_I’m still on the run_  
_Opposition’s tryna get me_  
_I’m still swerving till I’m done_  
_Won’t off the gas until it's empty._

To his left, tires screeched and an oncoming car swerved away. Hans looked up and saw he cut into the opposite lane. He tightly gripped the steering wheels, ready to maneuver back when he felt a heavy weight on his shoulder from behind.

Before he could react, an obscure silhouette appeared two meters in front of him. Its arms outstretched. Hans’ eyes registered its pale blue-grey skin contrasting against a flowy white summer dress on its waif-like figure.

Realizing he could not stop on time, Hans stomped on the brakes immediately and made a hard left turn. But his tires failed to gain proper traction on the now icy pavement. He felt the car uncontrollably lurched sideways and around as it turned. The trunk narrowly missed the ghostlike figure as the car spun one hundred eighty degrees.

Adrenalin surged as the grotesque face grinned at him. Hans tried to keep his wits about him as he fought and brought his speeding vehicle back on track. His eyes zeroed on the speedometer and watched it climb, although his foot was off the gas. He floored the brakes but the mechanism failed to follow completely.

Hans’ foot felt around for the gas pedal and found it jammed down. He slipped a booted foot under the pedal and tried to dislodge it. But it remained weighed down as if something or someone obstinately pushed it down. Hans floored on the brakes once more. But to no avail. He was still racing forward, still prowling ahead.

The inevitable was before him. “Whatever happens”, he swore, “I am going keep the death toll to just Hans Westergaard.”

 _No_. A dark, disembodied voice hissed. _You don’t get to make last requests._

Hans ignored the voice. And refocused on his steering, he hit the brakes again. He slowed down marginally but still could not come to a full stop. His car hit a pothole that pitched him horizontally towards the curb on the opposite lane.

Hans Westergaard saw his car’s headlights illuminate the lone pedestrian’s stunning blue eyes before the airbag rushed out.

* * *

***~*~***

* * *

_Hans_. Elsa’s eyes opened as his slid close.

She could still hear the echoes of the crash. The scrape of steel against steel. The thud of her flesh onto a concrete sidewalk. The crescendo of noise that preceded all that and the oppressive silence afterwards.

She stood up but her body remained prone on the ground. Elsa stood dazed as the flurries fell around her.

“No. Don’t think about that now, Elsa.” She turned to the wreck behind her. Check Hans.

She moved past the shattered glass and twisted metal. At the corner of her eye, she saw herself again. All curled up on her side a few steps in front of the misshapen car.

Elsa saw blood on the red knit of her gloves as she reached up and cupped her chilled face. She could almost feel the icy pavement underneath her cheeks and a phantom pain on her left abdomen area.

She shook the sensation away. I must be feeling the echoes of my last moments and nothing more.

The broken side mirror fell with a loud crunch. Elsa straightened herself up and moved closer to the car. The car’s driver door hung from its hinges, exposing Hans to the elements. The windshield was shattered. Its iridescent shards scattered amongst the snow.

The car hood was crushed where it hit the lamppost’s concrete base that ultimately halted the vehicle. Heat and smoke billowed from the engine like a white flag of surrender.

Elsa found him still on his seat, slumped against the torn airbag. He was pinned between the caved in the dashboard and his seat. His seat belt stretched out against that firm torso, the very same one she once felt against her half a year ago. She gently ran a pale hand from his shoulder up to smooth his dark red hair. At this distance, Elsa could see his chest slightly rose and fall as he breathed shallowly.

“Oh, Hans. Please…Hang on.”

Of all scenarios where she anticipated she’d see him again... A car accident was not one of them.

Her eyes swept over him. Her medical training kicked in and she surveyed his injuries.

His left arm was at an odd angle, trapped between his chest and steering wheel. He would need a cast. And some physical therapy, she assessed. He likely brought his arm up in an attempt to brace himself upon impact. The broken glass cut him in several places, all minor except for that one so close to his lower left eye. She could see the glittering fragment from where it embedded in his still, bloodied face.

He was out cold. She suspected whiplash. She could see the beginning of a bruise in the middle of his forehead and another by his right temple. His face and body likely pitched back-and-forth as the airbag deployed and ruptured. The impact was as strong as a sucker punch to the face from a prizefighter.

Elsa felt tears form in her eyes.

_I wanted to punch him in the face after admitted his plans to take over Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals that last evening in the Bahamas. But I held back the impulse. It would be unseemly to assault one’s date in the middle of a crowded post-conference soiree. If he ever felt anything genuine for me or if it was all an act… I—I would never get to ask him now._

_I thought I had more time. How I wasted time by ghosting him and running away._

The hospital doors burst open. Elsa heard one of the staff nurses scream and run back inside. A few seconds later, an alarm was called. Almost immediately, there was flurry of activity as medical staff swiftly responded to the accident.

Elsa watched a fellow doctor run out and check Hans. From a distance, she could hear police sirens blare as they headed this way.

She heard a loud sob and a cry that sounded like _Elsa_.

“Doctor Àrnadalr, no! Please no!”

 _Oh. They finally found me. Leave me. Please focus on Hans._ Just Hans.

The attending doctor snapped, his pale gray mustache quivering in impatience. “Nurse Kassel, stop that at once. Help me with the driver!”

“Aren’t you even going to chec—?”

“NOW!”

Gerda Kassel, a veteran ER/OR nurse of twenty-nine years caved-in and snapped to follow the orders.

“Yes, Dr. Weselton.”

“Oh Gerda, you dear. You always got my back.” Elsa whispered, “But please. Listen to Duke. You need to focus on Hans, Gerda. Dr. Duke Weselton and I might not see eye-to-eye but he’s not a bad doctor.”

_Please don’t let Duke screw this up… not this one. Please._

Elsa stepped aside and quietly observed everything unfold. They strapped a K.E.D. to secure his head, neck, and spine before cutting him loose from his seat restraints.

“Where is that trauma board?!”

She recalled the last time she saw Hans Westergaard… She told him that she never wanted to see him again. They both knew Elsa lied.

Hans attempted to dismantle her family’s legacy. She reminded herself. His unfaltering ambition. His blatant disregard for others to meet his goals.

Earlier this year, Elsa had to stop her medical practice to become the Àrnadalr CEO again. She joined this year’s Corporate Leaders Summit in the Bahamas with the intention to strengthen business ties. She had to put up a front of strength and stability against the rumors of Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals Inc. ceasing to be a family-held company. She had to protect her sister’s inheritance.

Through Elsa preferred practicing medicine to managing her family’s business, she would always choose to put a hold on her personal wishes. And put her sister’s welfare first.

When Elsa met Hans Westergaard in the Bahamas, she thought he was there to simply represent M.W.H. Westergaard Finance in the leader’s summit. As she allowed him to sit beside her during the orientation, she did not know Hans already decided to relentlessly pursue and add Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals Inc. in his growing list of conquests.

M.W.H. Westergaard Finance backed her grandfather when their pharmaceutical family business faltered three decades ago. Westergaard Finance held a forgotten and dormant financial influence in Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals Inc. because of their assistance. For decades, all was calm until the youngest Westergaard son took over and decided to finish what his retired father started.

After that bittersweet week in the Bahamas, she avoided him. Elsa would not meet him face to face or return his calls. All correspondences were directed through the company lawyers and representatives. But in the back of her mind, Elsa knew it would be only a matter of time before he’d saunter over once again. And finish what his bedroom tricks did not accomplish. Thus, she chose to keep him at arm’s length.

Elsa watched them pull Hans out and secure him unto a trauma board. She wondered aloud. “I avoided you when I could have communicated openly. I should have shelved my wounded vanity and allowed a civil, face to face discussion. I shouldn’t have ran away.”

She reached over and held Hans’ hand as she ran with the team into the hospital emergency room. “I could have seized the opportunity to see and talk to you. One last time.”

They found a vacant bed at the far end of the ER, close to the exit leading to the operating rooms. The staff slapped on wirings for the ECG. Elsa studied the patterns as it came on the LED screen. Vitals looked good. They brought in a portable radiography machine and immediately began a scan.

All throughout this, he did not stir. Elsa bit her lip and stopped it from trembling. “Hans… you were right. I want to take back my wish. I don’t want you to go to the devil. _Stay. Stay for me_.”

The tears froze on Elsa's face as a shadow shifted and formed behind her. The shadow lengthens and dragged Elsa back a few feet from Hans’ bedside.

While engulfed in the darkness, it projected information into Elsa’s mind. The spirit showed Elsa glimpses of a small, familiar-looking boy in the backseat. And the last two hours that lead to the spirit’s death three years ago.

The darkness receded from Elsa’s mind and she saw the spirit’s face clearly under the ER’s harsh fluorescent lighting. “You don’t need to remind me. I could never forget you, Mrs. Svenson.”

The spirit wore the same flowy, white summer dress on the day its death. The mid-calf hemline was flayed, parts of its torn sections hung like talons. Her skin was an ashen blue-gray and her long dark brown hair in thick, limp waves around her sunken face.

Johannes ‘Jon’ Svenson was one of Elsa’s first patients. In the first year of Elsa’s residency, Mrs. Andrea Svenson and her then-six-year-old son were rushed in. They were brought in after a terrible multi-car crash on the freeway. Her son was visibly injured and was immediately taken to the operating room next to the emergency room. The doctor who examined Andrea Svenson saw the slight bruising around her ribs, a swollen eye, and negligible lacerations to her arms. It wasn’t as bad as other cases, Weselton declared. And then Dr. Duke Weselton decided he would attend to Andrea after the more serious cases of the day.

With the influx of several patients from the same accident, the already-understaffed hospital was overwhelmed. Elsa remembered Andrea’s hysterical pleas to save Jon as she wheeled the child to surgery with the rest of the surgical team.

Elsa remembered coming out of Jon’s successful operation elated. She could not wait to inform Andrea that her son was going to be alright. But when Elsa could not find Mrs. Svenson, she approached the doctor who examined her earlier.

“Dr. Weselton? Is Mrs. Svenson in the labs for scans and testing? I assumed she’d be still in there now but she isn’t. Where is she? I need to give some good news.”

Duke would not look her in eye. “I have some bad news.”

Elsa numbly listened as Weselton explained that Andrea suffered a fatal aneurysm from her internal injuries.

“Some hurts run deep.” Elsa looked into Andrea’s faded eyes. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Svenson. If only we looked into your case with extra care.”

Sadness briefly surfaced on the spirit’s face. But the moment quickly passed. “Showing me your side of this memory doesn’t absolve you, Dr. Àrnadalr.” In her hollow voice, the spirit growled. “My Jon…I want my son. I want my son… I looked for him here. But… Jon lives.”

“I saved your son, Mrs. Svenson.” Elsa spread out her hands to Andrea. “Do you remember?”

“You took Jon away!” The spirit’s face distorted. Eyes now a dark pool of emptiness as they stared Elsa down. “I promised him we’d walk out the hospital together. You caused me to break my promise. Jon left, I stayed!”

Elsa flinched at the spirit’s outburst. Like most hospitals, she heard the ghost stories whispered during breaks. Of unfinished business and such. Pity wrung her heart. “Is that why you’re still here? Is there something I can do for you? To help you?"

Darkness seeped from Andrea Svenson and crawled up towards Elsa’s feet. “It’s ALL YOUR FAULT!”

_My— my fault?_

Waves of pain, sadness, and loneliness radiated from Andrea. Elsa took the blow of Andrea’s surging anger. But understanding the pain, sadness and loneliness helped the doctor stand her ground.

“Your fault! You separated Jon and I!” Mrs. Svenson hissed through her death-pale face as she pointed a gnarled hand at Hans. “He was supposed to die. You should be in his place.”

The restless, deceased mother continued to rage. “He pleaded for his life to be taken. The selfish fool grew selfless in the end! I intended for you to suffer an empty life as I did in death! I wanted you to lose someone you love.”

 _I… love Hans?_ “You’re mistaken.”

“Foolish girl, I followed you around since my death three years ago. You conceal it well. But I know you do.”

Mrs. Svenson read Elsa's astonished expression. “Foolish girl, you fooled yourself.”

Andrea glared nastily. “I caused this accident! He should have been in your place right now. But nothing ever works out for me! But it doesn’t matter now. You’re here and he’s there. In a twisted way, my plan worked out after all.” Andrea crackled hysterically. “Your woe, my joy! That foolish boy feels the same way you do!”

Elsa suddenly felt her heart constrict and pound as if it was struck by a bolt of lightning. She inhaled deeply and felt lightheaded. “H-he…does?”

Behind Elsa, there was a sudden burst of renewed urgency. From the corner of Elsa’s eye, she watched her body as it was wheeled past the emergency room. A team of five was conveying her body towards the rooms beyond.

Andrea projected information into Elsa’s mind. “See for yourself, Dr. Àrnadalr.”

The anonymously sent flowers. The uplifting little post-it notes stuck on her locker door. The sinful, decadent chocolates shared by a colleague. The delivered packed meals sent by a generous pharmaceutical sales representative. The innumerable life-giving cups of handcrafted coffee brought in by Gerda.

“All from Hans? How?”

“Your staff. He started with flowers. One of your colleagues saw him and tried to stop him.”

Upon her return from the Caribbean, Elsa remembered being distracted and downcast at work all week. She nearly lost a patient on the operating table the day before. She recalled being caught off guard by Gerda’s concerned inquiry that Elsa ended opening up about her disastrous affair with Hans Westergaard.

And then, Andrea showed Elsa how Hans effortlessly slipped into the staff’s common room later that day.

He sauntered with such self-assurance that made it seem he belonged there too. Elsa was still in the locker area when Gerda caught Hans and ordered him out. In his hand was a bouquet of yellow daffodils and blue-purple hyacinths for Elsa. He was so earnest and unhappy that Gerda’s considerate heart grudgingly allowed Hans to talk.

“Can I see her?” He asked Gerda.

“Mr. Westergaard, Elsa told you she never wants to see you again, did she not?”

“Yes, howev—”

“I have to support Dr. Àrnadalr’s wishes. Until she changes her mind, I can’t let you see her.”

Hans reached up and massaged the back of his neck. “I know and understand why she would refuse to see me. I am not happy with myself too. How we left things—I just don’t want her to think—”

“Sir, I don’t think you should be telling me all this—”

“Don’t you see? I won't tell Elsa all this. But she refuses to see me or hear me out...” The blooms quivered in his hand.

Gerda stared. Gone was the cool sophisticated man from earlier.

“If I could reach out to her somehow…” He continued honestly. “Let her know in some way that I am not through with her. And I dare to hope that she is not through with me too. Damn, I don’t want to leave things where they are now. That I still want to be with her for her. Not because of the planned takeover. That I long for another chance to sit beside her on that beach, watch the sunset together, and hold her hand in mine.”

Elsa watched Gerda took note of the raw pain, remorse and longing etched beneath Hans’ face.

“You don’t have to say they’re from me. Here—” He took the small envelope from the bouquet and removed the card inside. Hans quickly scribbled something on the envelope’s surface and put it back amongst the blooms.

“Mr. Westegaard… I don’t want to stand in your way, but—”

Hans’ voice hitched. “Please. Someone came in. A delivery for Elsa. You brought it in and you left the bundle on her desk. That is all.”

With both hands, he held the flowers expressing ‘please forgive me’ and ‘hope for new beginnings’.

“Let Elsa know.”

Elsa remembered the flowers. She initially thought they were from Hans’. But when she saw the attached note mentioned word such as _heal_ , _let go_ , and _grow_. Elsa surmised this was a wake-up call for her unsatisfactory work performance and told Gerda so.

How did that message go, again? _‘Remember, when you forgive, you heal. And when you let go, you grow. – Unknown.’_

From the corner of her eye, Elsa saw that the staff dispersed from Hans’ bedside. Elsa glanced over and saw his arm was now in a sling. His cuts, face, and head carefully tended and bandaged.

Gerda lingered. The veteran nurse gently dabbed antiseptic over the fresh stitches around his left eye. “Dear Mr. Westergaard…” Gerda was holding back tears as she adjusted Hans’s pillow under his injured head. “Doctor Àrn… Elsa is—”

The spirit once again projected a memory into Elsa’s mind.

“From Hans Westergaard?” Gerda asked innocently.

In the memory, Elsa saw the blush she hid behind the bundle of flowers. “No. I’m so embarrassed to think they were from him. He’s a cold man. A week passed and no word from him. I should have expected that from him.”

Gerda watched Elsa’s face carefully. “Are you disappointed? Would you rather—”

“You’re awfully nosy.” Elsa laughed to dispel the tension.

“And you did not answer the question, dear.”

Elsa lowered the flowers and studied them carefully.

“Well, Dr. Àrnadalr… Hypothetically. What if I told you he sent those to you?”

“Hypothetically, I would toss this into the bin.” Elsa lashed out angrily. “He hurt me badly, Gerda. I told you he made me believe I was someone worth the time and effort. _Just me. Just Elsa_. Not the Àrnadalr name. Not the Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals Inc. brand. _Me_.”

  
Elsa took a fortifying, deep breath. “By confessing Westergaard Financials takeover plans, Hans reminded me I am nothing without my family name. I can’t even tell Anna what happened in the Bahamas. I had to put up appearances since I returned from the summit. Knowing my sister, Anna would do something impulsive and upset the delicate balance of Àrnadalr-Westergaard relations. Not now. Not when we're so close to her succession as the new CEO of Àrnadalr Pharmaceuticals.”

“Dear Elsa… Have you considered talking to him? Get everything out in the open?”

Gerda reached out and held Elsa as the usually cool and elegant doctor started to shake.

“I—I can’t. I wish I could control myself around him. If I could be cool and composed around him. If I could face him without breaking down. But, Gerda. I don’t know how. Maybe I need time to reinforce myself. I don’t know how long I need but… I can’t even start to think of him without… ” Elsa held a pale hand out.

And she and Gerda watch it shake uncontrollably.

At that moment, Gerda knew she was right to uphold Elsa's wishes in the first place.

“I understand your need for some space, Dr. Àrnadalr.”

“I don’t want to see him, Gerda. Not yet. Please don’t let me know if he tries to reach out. Not until I am ready. Promise me, please. I can’t be distracted. I had a close call with a patient.”

Gerda Kassel vowed upon seeing the look in Elsa's eyes. But at the same time, the veteran nurse could not forget the same the beseeching and hurt expression on Hans’ eyes.

For the first few weeks, the young man stood outside the staff entrance every day with a bouquet of flowers and waited for Elsa to come out. Hans shouldn’t have bothered; Elsa heard about it and used the carpark entryway at the opposite side of the hospital.

The staff noticed and teased Elsa about her suitor but she completely ended that with a frosty ‘Stop It’. Elsa would quietly leave the room or conversation as soon as Hans Westergaard was mentioned. But Elsa’s colleagues and staff couldn’t help themselves—Hans slowly gained their sympathy and gradual respect for his devotion to Elsa.

And so, Elsa decided to run away. A month later, she volunteered for a sojourn in the deep forests of South America. When Gerda told Hans that Elsa joined a medical mission abroad— Gerda felt her heart break for them both.

When Elsa returned from South America two months later—he sent a short, profound, handwritten post-it note for Elsa. Gerda stuck the note on Elsa’s locker for him. No one was the wiser as it was a common tradition among the hospital staff to leave notes to each other’s locker and workstations. And he continued to send over short, sweet, affirming and encouraging handwritten messages for Elsa almost daily. After a business trip to Belgium, Hans sent over a box of decadent, dark chocolate. And Gerda claimed the treat triggered her food allergies and gave the entire box to Elsa. Whenever he sent up something for Elsa, Gerda simply passed it on and never told Elsa as she promised.

The images disappeared at quickly as they were projected into her mind. Elsa shivered as a gnarled hand brushed the slopes of her back in a mockingly maternal way. “Oh, Dr. Àrnadalr… you know that he lives all the way on the opposite side of the city, correct? Have you ever wondered what he was doing this side of town? Well. There, now you know.”

Before Elsa could answer, a young nurse stepped forward and interrupted Gerda.

“Nurse Kassel? Here are the rest of the patients’ things. I’ve retrieved all I could find.” The nursing intern’s voice shook as he added. “I’ve also brought in some of Dr. Àrnad—” The young intern broke off with a sniff.

Gerda took the items and laid them on Hans’ bedside table. “Thank you. Come with me, son. We have to go notify their families.”

Elsa recognized her purse, her hospital identification card, what likely was Hans’ black satchel bag, his charcoal grey overcoat, a slightly crushed bouquet of white and blue roses, and a bloodied red scarf.

Transfixed, Elsa approached the table for a closer look. As she ran her red-knit gloved hands over the red scarf, she instantly recognized the distinctive weave and intricate pattern on both items. As if they belonged to a set.

Elsa turned to Hans, “Gerda knitted these gloves. I remember her knitting a scarf to go with it but had to give it away. She said she gave it away to someone who was cold.”

“If you’re that someone, Hans… Gerda was wrong. I was wrong to call you that in the first place.” Tears began to fall in earnest. “You are not cold. I am. I’m sorry.”

The spirit laughed derisively at Elsa’s declaration. “What a fine pair you make. Fools.”

“Based on how Hans and I behaved, I agree, Mrs. Svenson,” Elsa admitted. “What happens now?”

“What happens now?” Andrea mimicked. “Are you asking me if we are to be locked together in all eternity?”

“Honestly, the thought crossed my mind.”

Andrea Svenson sneered. “Don’t worry your pretty little head, Dr. Àrnadalr. I won’t be in this realm for too long. I have sold my soul to cause this.”

The overhead lights flickered as if on cue. “Here they come.” Mrs. Svenson’s body shook as the shadow glided from the corners of the room, moved past Elsa, and pooled at the spirit’s ankles. “You are on your own.”

Elsa’s heart broke for this poor grieving mother. “Mrs. Svenson! There must be something I can still do to help you!”

A wave of potent anger swelled towards Elsa. And it was not coming from Andrea.

“You…” Andrea choked out. “You want to help me? After all the trouble I caused??”

A hellish voice overlaid Andrea’s. “WHY??!” They demanded as one.

“Forgiveness,” Elsa stated simply. “It’s the right thing to do.”

The spirit’s face grew more grotesque and distorted as the shadows embrace tightened. “You will get nothing out of doing that. Why do it?”

“Peace.”

The shadowy mass surged up and fully engulfed Andrea Svenson’s white-clad form. “You failed.” The dark voice growled menacingly as the darkness turned to Elsa next.

 _Oh, no_. A dark, disembodied voice jeered. _You don’t get to make last requests._

Elsa ignored the voice. “I am dead, aren’t I? I believe I can.”

  
“No.”

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***~*~***

To be continued…

***~*~***

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**Time to choose your preferred epilogue.**

  
-Skip to Chapter 2 for a _happily ever after (?)_  
-Skip to Chapter 3 for a _funeral_.  
-Skip to Chapter 4 for the author’s preferred ending. [Surprise!]

-

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**Author's Note:**

> Post Story Notes:
> 
> Hello Reader~
> 
> How are you? First of all, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story.
> 
> I meant to post my first Frozen fanfiction for the Helsa Summer Event back in August 2020. But I ran out of time, choked, and anxiety took over.
> 
> I hope this is the start of many more...? (Idontwanttojinxthisthusthequestionmark)
> 
> Thank you for reading this far. Lol. Please let me know which one of the ‘choose your epilogue’ you are most excited to read? Until the next one— have a spooky, happy Halloween!
> 
> X


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